Frith Analysis-Swiffer

Cynthia Magelitz

Comm 406

01/17/2012

Frith Analysis-Swiffer’s Women Mud and Dirt

Advertising has come a long way from its roots. Not only does advertising a product have to hook our attention through visual semiotics it has to speak the consumer’s language. Visual and verbal communication becomes the viewer’s interpretation and is also considered an important part of the analysis for the product being advertised. Through advertising the consumer is subjected to adverse and controversial ads that may psychologically and through technical effects make verbal or non-verbal statements about race, gender, feminism and masculinity. Some of the advertising that is presented to the consumer in this day and age of advertising through broadcast medium is humorous, may use nostalgic through music and most do not depend on intellectual analysis. One such advertisement that captures the funny bone with humor and nostalgic music is the Swiffer commercials. Swiffer is one of many products that are produced by the Procter & Gamble Company and through advertising of this product has produced a number of characters to help sell the Swiffer product line. The commercial that will be analyzed through the Frith method and discussed in this blog is the Swiffer ‘What About Love’ commercial featuring mud and dirt represented by two women.

The surface meaning of this commercial to the viewer is of two women made to look very small against a giant background of a kitchen floor in which these two women represent mud and dirt. Mud looks like mud and dirt looks like dust and dirt mixed together. In fact when dirt claps her hands together and when she is suddenly attracted to the bottom of the Swiffer cloth a little bit of dust fly’s off her. When mud is pushed around by the big mop she leaves a muddy residue. When the two in one Swiffer sweeper comes along to attract dirt off the floor a song by the band Heart, ‘What About Love,’ begins to play and when mud is attracted to the Swiffer dirt dissolving wet cloth mud exclaims “you’re quite the pick-up artist.” The commercial ends with a bold statement that Swiffer “gives cleaning a whole new meaning.” Yeah for the consumer who has had it with their old broom and dirty mop!

The advertiser’s intended meaning is that Swiffer products are better than the conventional product to clean dirt, mud, and dust and is better for the consumer’s hardwood floors, a cleaning product so "revolutionary" that the consumer will never switch back to what they were once using.  Swiffer has taken an ongoing problem of mud, dirt and dust inside the home by adding a humorous twist to the situation to demonstrate that their product does not leave traces of mud, dirt, and dust on the surface and that the consumer does not have to spend as much time cleaning the floor as if they would be doing by using the conventional method of cleaning through the use of a broom or mop.

The cultural and ideological meaning of the Swiffer’s ‘What About Love,’ commercial has nothing to do with love. Maybe love for a cleaner floor surface but not finding true love for mud, dirt or dust. This commercials ideological meaning comes off as an E-Harmony connection for mud, dirt, dust and even the hardwood floor in finding the satisfaction of being swept off in love at first sight syndrome, even though the intended ideological meaning is all other cleaning products that combat this issue are inferior to the Swiffer product. Culturally Swiffer is targeting not only the individual who likes a clean house but also the individual who is single and find themselves in the same predicament as mud and dirt being represented by two lonely women who are wondering if "they will ever find the one." In all of the Swiffer commercials the anthropomorphize object, male or female is lonely and looking for love to sweep it off into forever  happiness of contentment never to worry about finding love again and the hardwood surface is left to peace of mind. The target consumer may be the population of adults who are single and desperate for love or it is catchy enough to convince  any consumer that this product is the ultimate pick me up artist that guarantees satisfaction or your money back. Hm wonder if E-Harmony offers the same guarantee. The symbolic truth behind the Swiffer commercials is that this is a cleaning product that will make the consumer’s life much happier once the consumer switches from their old way of cleaning to the Swiffer way of cleaning. The product now becomes something for everyone and not just the single and lonely looking for love.